Sauerkraut Soup

This recipe comes from Nela’s Cookbook.  As I’ve said before, soups are very popular in Poland, and this one caught my eye because I’ve never thrown a slab of ribs into a soup pot before.  It worked out well.  My sauerkraut must have been on the mild side because the soup was not nearly as tart as I thought it would be.

My friend, Sally, tells me her Czech grandmother used to make this soup, so I’m curious about how Nela’s recipe differs.  Comment and let us know, Sally.

Ingredients

1 pound sauerkraut

4 cups beef broth or 4 cups water and 2 Knorr beef bullion cubes

2 pounds pork spareribs

2 bay leaves

8 peppercorns

2 medium carrots, diced

2 ounces dried mushrooms (optional)

2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

• Rinse and drain the sauerkraut.
• In a large pot, add the broth, spareribs, bay leaves, peppercorns, carrots, and dried mushrooms (fresh chanterelles were in the market so I sliced 2 cups and used them instead.  I think this was also easier than retrieving the dried, cooked mushrooms for slicing).
• Cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the mushrooms and cut them into strips.  Return them to the pot and add 4 more cups of water.
• Melt sugar over medium heat until it colors and caramelizes.  Add the sauerkraut and the caramelized sugar to the pot, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Remove the ribs from the pot.  Pull the meat off the bones and slice into bite-sized  strips; return to soup.  It’s ready to serve.